Longitude by Dava Sobel receives high praise for its engaging narrative and accessible explanation of complex scientific history. Readers appreciate the seamless blend of storytelling and factual detail, though a few find the explanations occasionally oversimplified. Overall, it's lauded for making maritime history captivating and comprehensible.

Readers who enjoy historical narratives with a scientific twist, particularly those who appreciated The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester or The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton, will find Longitude by Dava Sobel captivating. It appeals to those fascinated by maritime history, innovation, and the quest for navigation solutions.

Longitude by Dava Sobel recounts the 18th-century quest to solve the problem of determining a ship's longitude at sea. It follows John Harrison, a clockmaker who created the first accurate maritime timepiece, and his prolonged struggle against astronomers advocating a celestial method. Replete with maritime disasters, brilliant innovations, and political intrigue, the narrative traces the eventual recognition of Harrison's pivotal contributions to navigation. Note: Historical maritime disasters are described.

Informative / Inspirational / Adventurous / Challenging

- Longitude by Dava Sobel was published in 1995 and quickly became a bestseller, popularizing a historical scientific topic for a wide audience.
- Dava Sobel's work in Longitude is often credited with sparking a renewed public interest in the history of navigation and maritime exploration.
- The book was adapted into a television series by the same name, which aired in 2000 and starred actors like Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon.

**Dava Sobel**  
An author who writes books about scientific figures and their significant contributions, including John Harrison's development of sea clocks; her work has received critical acclaim and adapted into other media.

**John Harrison**  
A self-taught clockmaker who accepted the challenge of creating a reliable method for determining longitude at sea, developing a series of accurate sea clocks over several decades.

**Nevil Maskelyne**  
Astronomer Royal and member of the Board of Longitude, known for his involvement in the lunar method of determining longitude and opposition to John Harrison's sea clocks.

**John Flamsteed**  
The first director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory who made extensive observations of celestial objects, laying groundwork for future astronomers to advance navigation methods.

**Edmund Halley**  
A prominent astronomer and the second Astronomer Royal who supported John Harrison's clockwork solution as a viable method for calculating longitude at sea.

**James Bradley**  
Third Astronomer Royal and member of the Board of Longitude who supported the lunar method, indirectly conflicting with Harrison's clock method due to his role on the Board.

**Captain James Cook**  
A naval officer who endorsed the effectiveness of Harrison's sea clock during his voyages, strengthening the argument for Harrison to receive the longitude prize.

**Galileo**  
An Italian astronomer who proposed using the moons of Jupiter to determine longitude, presenting an early, though not entirely practical, astronomical solution to the longitude problem.

**King George III**  
A monarch who supported John Harrison's efforts by personally testing his clock, ultimately assisting in the recognition and reward of Harrison's work.

**Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell**  
An English naval officer whose fatal navigational error highlighted the necessity of solving the longitude problem, ultimately leading to the Longitude Act.

**Tobias Mayer**  
A German mapmaker whose improvements in lunar position predictions were adopted by British astronomers to enhance lunar tables for longitude calculations.

Dava Sobel

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Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

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